


Whose Shield

by Prompto_Cam



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blood and Injury, Could be romantic, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Mild Language, World of Ruin, You Decide, could be brotherly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 05:13:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11548197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prompto_Cam/pseuds/Prompto_Cam
Summary: World of Ruin. Gladio struggles being a shield with no one to protect. When Prompto goes missing, can he find him in time? Will Prompto make it home alive?





	Whose Shield

**Author's Note:**

> I had originally hoped to have this done for Promptio week, but oh man, I am slow. Doctors are taking care of me now so hopefully updates and new fics will come a little more regularly!

Losing Noctis to the Crystal had been a hard blow for his Crownsguard to take; with the loss of their King came the loss of their sunlight and the spread of the Scourge. They had been lucky enough to escape Zegnautus Keep with the help of Aranea, but the four were now down to three and the mood was sombre. They had lost more than just their King. They had lost their ward; their hope; their friend. It almost felt like they had lost their purpose.

It was Ignis who finally snapped them all out of it. Always the logical one, he reminded them that they needed to do whatever they could to help the people until Noctis returned; there would be an influx of demons with no sunlight to keep them away. People all over were in danger and as the King's Guard, it was their task to protect the King's people in his absence. They would just have to do whatever they could to hold the demons at bay.

Of course, it had hit them all hard; but for Gladio, the blow had been twofold. They had lost Noctis, and he had been _powerless_ to stop it. The King's Shield had failed his job to protect him and let him fall into the hands of their enemy, who had subjected him to the crystal's capture. What was a shield with no one to protect? It had taken _months_ to pull him out of his rut of self-blame and get him being productive again, and then the upset had become frustration; he had vented it against the demons.

But he still felt like a Shield with no one to protect, so it was no surprise to anyone that knew him when he started paying more attention to Prompto. As the youngest of the four, it was only logical that his protective instinct would shift in Prompto's direction and for a few years, it seemed to keep Gladio's head screwed on. They worked hard together to counter the demons, guarding refugees on their way to Lestallum and helping the hunters build a new base out of Hammerhead.

But they couldn't keep it up forever. Ignis had become fully independent again in just a few short years, rejoining the rank of hunter and cooking as if nothing had ever changed. Prompto was faring better with a few years of practice under his belt; a contrast to the boy who started this journey with only a few months of Cor's hard training. Slowly, they were all becoming independent and finally they decided their efforts would be better placed separately. They could cover more ground running solo than as a team.

Prompto wanted to stay in the Hammerhead area and keep the new HQ safe. He could filter between Hammerhead and Lestallum; he was always more of a people person. Ignis decided to re-join with Aranea, who had been using her drop ship to pick up people trapped in hard-to-reach areas. But Gladio was left feeling like he didn't know what to do. He would go wherever the hunters needed him most, but it felt unfulfilling. He _missed_ Ignis taking the lead. He _missed_ Prompto's half-hearted attempts at brightening the mood. After being together for so long, being apart felt wrong.

They would meet in Lestallum from time to time to trade information and stories, and those were the days that the three of them treasured most. But Gladio was noticing the changes in them all. They were all carrying new scars from battles won and battles almost lost. Ignis had switched his old glasses out for a darker pair and Prompto was slowly packing on a little more muscle; not to mention his little goatee that he was trying to grow. Gladio had only noticed that his hair was getting longer when Prompto had pointed it out, but it was long enough to tie it back now.

When they did fight together, Gladio found himself slipping into his shield role all over again. It was like a second nature to hover nearest to Prompto and cover his back. It wasn't entirely necessary; Prompto was doing well enough on his own but Gladio couldn't stop himself.

But when Prompto had needed him to be a shield, he was in the horrible position once again of _not even being there_.

 _"We ain't seen hide nor hair o' him fer days now. We got a call 'bout four days ago 'bout two or three Ronin up in Pallareth Pass. He was gonna meet up with Dave but Dave said he never came. He had to haul on back 'ere yesterday cuz he couldn't fight 'em alone but Blondie still ain't come back... Was hopin' ya'll might be able to find him"_ Cindy explained over the phone.

"Did you try calling Ignis? He'd be able to get there faster than me" Gladio said, anxiously pacing back and forth.

 _"I did try 'im but he said he's out near Galahd and it'd take 'im a while ta get 'ere. He was pretty certain you'd be closer"_ Cindy explained. Gladio paused his pacing; He was only a few hours away from Pallareth Pass but Ignis was much further away.

"I'm in Lestallum. I'll head up there and see what I can find" He confirmed, trying not to let his worry be evident in his tone. He hung up the phone and grabbed his Hyperion from its stand. They had all taken to keeping their weapons out, just in case their access to Noct's magic was cut off at any point.

"Gladdy? What's going on?" Gladio turned around to face his sister, Iris. "Problem?" She asked.

"One of the hunters has gone missing, Cindy wanted some reinforcements" He explained loosely; he didn't want her to share his worry for Prompto or goodness knows she'd be trying to follow him.

"Oh... that's been happening a lot lately... Cor and myself did a recovery last week but we only found the tags" She muttered. Gladio sighed heavily. He often forgot that Iris was almost twenty now, and a capable fighter herself. Thankfully Cor insisted upon staying at her side and that eased a great burden from Gladio's shoulders.

"I hope that won't be the case this time. But either way I'll be back soon enough. Probably tomorrow" He assured with a firm nod, which Iris returned.

"Better come back in one piece. I won't forgive you if you don't" She said with a wag of her finger. Gladio chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her hair before he turned to leave. He could make it to Pallareth in just a few hours from here. If Prompto had left Hammerhead four days ago, he had probably taken a little over a day and a half to get there on foot, following the main roadways since he didn't tend to use any of the hunter's trucks. If that was the case, then he had been missing for two and a half days.

He couldn't assume that anything serious had happened immediately; Prompto _was_ a good fighter. He didn't take too many risks where he didn't have to but there was a sinking feeling in Gladio's stomach that something had in fact gone wrong.

From Lestallum, the trek to Pallareth only took a little over two hours. Besides a near miss with a Flan the trek had been eerily uneventful. The area was suspiciously clear of demons, almost as if they had been cleared out but why had no more spawned in the area? He didn't waste too much time thinking on it, focusing his efforts on finding any sign of Prompto.

It took a little over an hour to find the first signs of a fight; several deep grooves in the dirt that could only have been caused by a sword scraping along the floor. It was pretty consistent with a Ronin fight, but there was no sign of any of the reported three Ronin in the surrounding area.

"Dammit Prom, where did you go?" He muttered, returning to the scarred landscape to search again. He cast his torch light back and forth over the area slowly so as not to miss any important details. He stopped his light over a particularly dark patch of dirt and knelt down to investigate. He rubbed his fingers into the dirt and brought them up to the light; he found a mixture of brown dirt, and dull red. "Shit" He cursed. Demons didn't bleed red.

He cast his light over the area again until he found another patch, and then another one and another one. It was almost like tracking a wounded animal, but it was all Gladio had to go on so he rose to his feet to follow it. "Prompto!" He called out; screw caution, if Prompto was hurt then he needed to find him sooner rather than later.

"Prompto!" He called again, scanning over the dark landscape for _any_ sign of life as he followed the trail of blood. It ended abruptly at a cliff wall, and with a quick glance up he could see where Prompto must have dragged his body up into an alcove above; blood was smeared up the wall like a bad painting, complete with bloodied hand prints. Gladio pushed his sword into the holder across his back to free up his hands and grabbed the first handhold he could see, hauling his large body upwards.

Once inside the alcove, his eyes zoned in on the flickering white light ahead. There definitely wasn't enough room to swing a sword in here so he _seriously_ hoped it was safe. He climbed through the cramped space carefully, having to bend just to fit. As he did so, it began to widen out into more of a cave-like area. That was where he found the flickering light.

The one attached to Prompto's jacket.

"Oh damn... oh shit, no, Prom!" Gladio stepped forward to kneel by his side. It looked like Prompto had just collapsed wherever as soon as he was able, blood staining his shirt around his stomach and his hands and pooling around him on the ground. Even with just his torch light, Gladio could see how pale the blonde had become. 

He pressed two shaking fingers to Prompto's neck,  _praying_  for any sign of life. There was a light flutter under his fingers. 

"C'mon Prom, wake up" he encouraged, carefully shaking Prompto by his shoulder. Prompto groaned lightly, his legs twitching with an effort to curl them into his body. "C'mon buddy, rise 'n shine. Open your eyes for me" Gladio insisted. 

Prompto tried; he really did. But he couldn't get his eyes open far. The violet-blue slits were enough for Gladio. He slid his arm under Prompto's shoulders and carefully lifted him up a little to hold him against his chest, despite the sharp gasp Prompto gave.

"I've got you buddy. I've got you. I'm gunna get you out of here, okay?" He spoke softly, trying to keep his own voice calm and steady, despite the horror circling through his gut. He had no curatives; they were in very short supply these days.

"Gladdy?" Prompto mumbled. Gladio gave a small nod, helping Prompto to lean against his chest, letting the blonde head rest against his shoulder.

"Yeah it's me. Try to stay awake with me. Can you tell me what happened?" He asked, carefully pulling Prompto's shirt up to see where the blood was coming from. Two very neat stab wounds on the right of his belly.

"Ronin... I c-couldn't... too slow" Prompto tried to explain. “Hid from ‘em for… for days… I think… b-but they… caught me” Gladio could feel the coldness biting at Prompto's skin, but the man was very still in his arms despite that.

"Okay, I got it. The coast was pretty clear out there but I'm gunna try and get us a lift. Just stay awake with me" Gladio insisted, tugging his phone out of his pocket to call Ignis. He didn't even wait for him to speak when he picked up. "Iggy, I found Prom. He's in a bad way, how close are you?" He asked quickly. He heard the advisor ask Aranea, who shouted back a response.

_"Still at least half an hour. What's happened?"_

"The Ronin he was hunting got him twice in the stomach. He's lost a lot o' blood and he's half frozen. I haven't got anything to give him" Gladio explained, giving Prompto a light shake when he felt him slumping more into him. "We have to wait for you, there's no way I can get him back to Lestallum quick enough; he's barely conscious Iggy" Again, he heard the muffled sounds of Ignis and Aranea communicating.

_"We're pushing the ship as hard as it'll go, but it could still be up to twenty minutes. If he's still bleeding then do what you can to keep pressure on the wounds and keep him awake at all costs. We have medical supplies on board, including a potion, ether... and a phoenix down"_

"We're in an alcove above ground; I'll keep an ear out for your ship and bring him out when you get here" Gladio carefully laid Prompto down onto his back again, pressing his large hand over the wound and pushing down, earning another sharp, pained gasp from the blonde.

 _"Got it. Just keep him awake, Gladio... hold tight"_ Ignis muttered, hanging up. Gladio tucked his phone away into his pocket and brought his hand to join the first in pressing down on the wounds. Of course, Prompto tried to move away, his hands gripping Gladio's wrists as tightly as he could manage.

"I'm sorry, Prom. Just deal with it for a little bit. Iggy is on his way, you'll be alright" He explained, lifting his head to meet Prompto's gaze. Violet-blue eyes were full of tears that hadn't fallen yet, but the pain was keeping him awake if nothing else. "Talk to me Prom, just talk" He almost pleaded.

Prompto lifted his gaze to the stone above them, trying to take in some steady breaths. "I... I wanted to... to see Noct again" He gasped.

"You will, alright? Don't even _think_ of giving in, you got it?"

"I k-kept a journal... to tell him everything... 's under my bed"

"Then you'll have to make sure _you_ give it to him. Because I'm not letting you damn well give in, you hear me? Iggy is gunna come get us, and we're gunna take you back to Lestallum and you can rest and recover there" Gladio insisted, reaching up to pat Prompto's cheek when he tried to close his eyes. "I'm not damn well losing you too, you got that? You're not giving up. You're not going to die here in some Astrals damned cave. You're going to die an old man like the rest of us"

Prompto tried to chuckle, but he flinched instead, his fingers tightening around Gladio's wrists before they loosened again and almost fell away completely. His breaths were slower, not quite as harsh and his eyes were growing cloudy, but Gladio kept up the pressure despite the warm blood seeping out between his fingers. He reached up to tap Prompto's cheek again, getting nothing more than a groan out of him. Each time his eyes would close he would have to slap him a little harder to get any response out of him. Any words he tried to speak were jumbled, confused and unintelligible. The bleeding was slowing but it wasn't _helping_.

He turned his head when the roar of a Magitek engine sounded behind him. That could only be Ignis and Aranea! He looked back to Prompto; but his eyes were closed again. He shook his shoulder, not at all being gentle anymore.

"C'mon Prom, can you hear that? Iggy's here, you have to stay awake" He insisted, shaking him harder when he got no response. He let go of the wound to grab Prompto's wrist and feel for a pulse. Nothing. "No, no, no, don't you _dare_ Prom, don't you _dare_!" He pleaded, sliding his arms under his shoulders and knees to haul him up into his arms. Prompto was completely limp in his arms, but he had to move. He squeezed back through the narrow entrance, hugging Prompto close in order to fit through. He slid down the incline he had climbed just as the ship's door opened. He climbed in, laying Prompto down on the floor as Ignis appeared.

"He needs a phoenix down, _now_!" Gladio demanded and Ignis was quick to fish it out of the pouch on his hip. Gladio grabbed it and pressed it into Prompto's chest, watching the fire roll over his still body. The two wounds on his stomach knit back together, disappearing without so much as a scar.

Gladio reached up to cup Prompto's cheeks, not caring that he was just smearing his blood everywhere. "C'mon kid, come back to me... c'mon, _please_ come back" He pleaded, paying no mind to Ignis as he kneeled next to them, finding Prompto's wrist to feel for his pulse.

"It's weak, but he's holding on. Aranea! We need to return to Lestallum, as soon as possible!" He called to the front of the ship.

"You got it Speccy!" She called back, and the ship roared to life as the door began to close, the ship lifting off the ground.

"Gladio, you should bring him to the dorm room... we'll be back in Lestallum soon"

 

* * *

 

"Here, drink this" Ignis said, holding out a steaming mug of coffee. Gladio lifted his head from his hands, sighing lightly as he took the offered drink.

"Thanks, Iggy" He muttered, holding it between both hands. It had been over six hours now, sat at Prompto's bedside while blood was pumped into his veins and oxygen flowed through the mask over his face. He hadn't woken up at all, despite the doctors saying that his vitals were steadily improving. Ignis found the chair next to him after Gladio nudged it into his searching hand with his foot. He didn't miss the scowl as Ignis realised what the scraping sound was, but Ignis clearly decided it wasn't worth lecturing him while he was in this state.

"You really ought to go and find a shower" Ignis said as he sat down. Gladio just shrugged his shoulders, even if Ignis couldn't see it he could tell from the rustle of fabric. "A quick wash down in the hospital bathrooms is hardly satisfactory"

"I'm clean enough" Gladio grunted. He couldn't see Prompto's blood all over his hands any more, but he was certain he could still feel it. He shuddered at the thought, looking over at Prompto again. He looked far too small in that hospital gown, swamped in white blankets to keep him warm. "Damn it all Iggy, when did the kid get so _small_? He looks like he hasn't eaten in weeks"

"I spoke to Cindy a few hours ago. She did voice her concerns that he's been overworked these last few weeks. It seems he's taken on a lot of solo hunts lately with varying degrees of injury as a result" Ignis explained, taking a long drink from his coffee. Gladio shook his head lightly.

"Typical. Kid is trying too damn hard as always" He mumbled, bringing the mug up to take a drink too. They sat in silence for a little longer, letting the beep of the heart monitor fill the silence.

At the first groan, Gladio's head snapped up to look over at Prompto. He set his mug down and stood to cross the room, carefully picking up Prompto's hand. He was still cold, but his skin did finally have more colour to it. "Prom?" He called softly, gently running his thumb over the back of Prompto's hand. The blonde groaned again, eyelids twitching with the effort to open his eyes. Gladio let out the breath he had been holding when violet-blue peeked out from between his eyelids. "Thank the six" Gladio muttered, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Prompto blinked his eyes open, taking a moment to look around the room in confusion; eventually his eyes settled on Gladio's worried face. "Gladdy...? Whut happ'n'd?" He mumbled, his fingers curling around Gladio's hand.

"You gave me the fright of my damn life, that's what happened... I thought we'd lost you back there" Gladio explained, reaching out to brush Prompto's hair away from his face. "You've been out all night. You lost a lot of blood so you're gunna be stuck here for a while. We're in Lestallum's hospital"

"That explains the beepin' I guess" Prompto mumbled, his head leaning into Gladio's hand.

"Yeah... That's just the monitors... get some rest, Prom. Me and Iggy will be here when you wake up" Gladio said, gently brushing his thumb across Prompto's cheek.

"M'kay" Prompto sighed, letting his eyes close again. Gladio leaned forward, sliding his hand under Prompto's head and pressing their foreheads together. _Finally_ , Gladio felt like he could relax. Prompto was safe, here where he belonged.


End file.
